Road terrorism continues to increase the number of victims on the roads lately. This was stated yesterday by Fatima Khellaf, communications officer at the National Delegation for Road Safety (DNSR), specifying that from January to October, road safety services recorded more than 3,000 traffic accidents.
Painting a particularly grim picture of the situation, the same official said on National Radio that “heavy vehicles are involved in an alarming share of accidents, significantly increasing the human toll,” noting that “this worrying trend affects many countries worldwide, but Algeria today clearly feels its effects.”
She affirmed that “the rise in road accidents has become a global problem that spares no country, including ours,” emphasizing that Algeria is experiencing “a notable increase in both accident rates and victim numbers.”
Regarding the grim toll, she said that between January and October of the current year, road safety services recorded 3,223 traffic accidents—an extremely heavy figure—resulting in 3,256 deaths and 31,998 injuries. She described this period as “particularly deadly,” highlighting that a comparison with the same period in 2024 reveals a worrying trend: “Accidents increased by 3.15%, injuries by 4.42%, and deaths by 1.31%.” According to her, this trend confirms the “persistence of a multi-dimensional structural problem,” which cannot be resolved by enforcement measures alone.
Concerning vehicles causing accidents, Ms. Khellaf indicated that one main cause of this worsening lies in the rising involvement of heavy vehicles. “Trucks, trailers, semi-trailers, and passenger transport buses are now among the leading contributors to the deadliest accidents,” she said. According to presented data, “bus involvement increased by 2.63%, or approximately 787 accidents.” As for heavy trucks, “their involvement rate saw a marked rise of about 7%.”
These accidents “are often chain reactions, which explain the increase in deaths and injuries when these vehicles are involved,” she elaborated, stressing that the power, weight, and sometimes poor condition of these vehicles amplify the severity of collisions.
In addition to these mechanical and technical factors, the rise in accidents is also fueled by a series of structural and social causes. Ms. Khellaf reminded that “rapid demographic development” puts constant pressure on road infrastructures and transport networks.
According to the same official, the massive growth in the vehicle fleet is a decisive factor. She explained that “the national vehicle fleet has expanded at a very high rate in recent years.” This trend, combined with “the significant expansion of the national transport network, now the second largest in Africa,” creates conditions where risks become harder to control. Roads are busier, distances traveled longer, and traffic density higher—all factors that mechanically increase the probability of accidents.
However, Ms. Khellaf was keen to clarify that repression measures and legal tools, though unavoidable, “represent only part of the fight.” According to her, the solution must first come through a deep change in behavior because “everything is linked to the mentality and behavior of road users.” The driver remains central to the issue, whether a motorist, heavy vehicle driver, public transport operator, or ordinary user. She insisted that both drivers and vehicle owners must be key actors in prevention, not just victims or recipients of awareness campaigns. For the official, active citizen involvement is “essential if we hope to stem the hemorrhage.”
The culture of reporting dangerous behavior, becoming more common thanks to new technologies and civic reflexes, constitutes—according to her—an important lever. “We have observed that the culture of reporting dangerous conduct has had a positive impact,” she explained, as it enables quicker interventions and reduces risky behaviors such as speeding, dangerous overtaking, or driving while fatigued. She believes a higher level of road awareness can be achieved in the near future if these practices spread widely.
Furthermore, Ms. Khellaf recalled that road safety does not rely solely on legislation or authorities but is “above all a culture, an education, and a continuous process.” She also underlined the importance of “continuous driver training,” “regular requalification” of motorists, and especially “road education from an early age.” According to her, only “a long-term approach based on pedagogy and collective effort” can sustainably reduce the human and material losses caused every year on the roads.